A Sound of Thunder
by Blinded Ryter
Summary: Yuugi suffers from another panic attack, because of the deafening and terrifying thunder one stormy night. Comforting his Aibou, Atem figures out the reason behind the panic attacks, and the fear of not just thunder, but something else as well. YxYY


_**Disclaimer - **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or its characters._

**A Sound of Thunder  
**_By Blinded Ryter_

The heavy blanket of sleep that had been laid over Yuugi Motou was harshly lifted from his being when a deafening peal of thunder crackled in the air, thus shattering the silence the young boy had been savoring. Body flinching at the beyond frightening sound and heartbeat accelerating into overdrive, Yuugi sat upright as he began to breath heavily in shallow gasps. Violet eyes widened and wavering in utter fear, the tri-colour-haired boy stared at the sheets sprawled over his legs. He could feel his chest tense up, and breathing was becoming a difficult task at an alarming rate. It was another panic attack, something Yuugi had been experiencing for the past few weeks. Breathing became difficult, his head would begin to throb terribly, and sometimes, it resulted in Yuugi vomiting and/or passing out.

The bedroom was swallowed by entire darkness, except for the occasional explosions of lightening that flooded through the windows, and brilliantly lit up the room for a mere second. Yuugi didn't have a problem with lightening; lightening was merely light, not a sound that gripped your heart in fear. That terrifying sound for the young boy was thunder. It was a deep roar that rattled his nerves, and was so deafening that the sound echoed inside Yuugi's frantic mind that was wiped clean of all thoughts. He had never always been afraid of thunder until as of a few weeks ago after the Ceremonial Battle. Atem was here with Yuugi safe and aliveto the boy's relief, and even had his own body now. But it was the thunder that caused wretched dark memories and troubled emotions of vivid and despairing nightmares about Atem having left Yuugi for the afterlife, or something along the lines of that to surface.

Yuugi jumped when there was another peal of thunder, which did him no good, but only increase the severity of his panic attack. Yuugi raised his shaking hands to hold his head as darkness began to bite around the edges of his vision. His throat became dry as his chest tightened and it felt as if his ribs were jabbing into his quickly deflating lungs. Mind racing, the boy doubled over, and gritted his teeth to hold back a cry of pain.

A moment later, Yuugi felt an arm wrap around his small frame before he was pulled close to another body. Yugi turned his bewildered gaze to his right, and saw that sitting besides him was a young man that bore features that were nearly identical as his. Crimson eyes clouded with concern and anguish gazed at Yuugi in silence, until another crackle of thunder shattered the silence. Yuugi's body tensed, but the boy began to relax when he felt Atem run the back of his fingers down Yuugi's soft cheek in a lover's caress. Without uttering a word, Yuugi climbed into Atem's lap, and leaned against his other half. Being held in Atem's arms and in his other half's presence in general, the panic and alarm was beginning to die down. Yuugi inhaled deeply and to both his and Atem's relief, he could breathe now. Atem waited patiently for Yuugi to calm down, and when he saw that Yugi was breathing normally again, the ex-Pharaoh spoke.

"Aibou," Atem addressed quietly, "something's bothering you, and it's not just the thunder."

In spite of how troubled his emotions were, a slight rueful smile touched Yuugi's lips. Atem, his other half, his "dark" side, knew him too well. They shared thoughts, they shared emotions, hell, they sometimes even shared the same body. But ever since the aftermath of the Ceremonial Battle and Atem being able to stay with Yugi, the two's bond had grown strong enough to the point where Atem could take on flesh, bone, and blood. Atem could spend the rest of his life in his own body if he wanted to. How did this come to happen? It was Yuugi's confession of flustered, yet solid feelings he had been keeping from his dark half. After Yuugi nearly lost Atem forever, he knew he couldn't hold off any longer.

The simple three words, "I love you," and a kiss that followed had been more than enough. Atem returned the kiss, and from there on, the two's bond had become stronger than ever.

"Aibou…" Atem said as he nudged Yuugi gently out of the boy's own silent musings. "You're drifting."

"S-sorry," Yugi stammered at apology. The boy paused before speaking. "I…Well…It's just that…" Yuugi's voice trailed off as a wave of frustration and anguish washed over him. He didn't want to tell Atem the reason behind these panic attacks, hence why he had been blocking out their mind link for the past two weeks. Yuugi didn't want to appear vulnerable and weak, even though deep down, Yuugi knew that he was.

The boy let out a quiet sigh in placid anger as he lowered his dimmed violet gaze to the bed sheets. "I'm just…scared," he finally confessed.

Atem expressed no emotions on his face nor in his lurid scarlet eyes, but there had been a pang in his chest that tugged harshly at the young man's heart strings. Atem brushed a few stray strands of Yuugi's hair out of his downcast and dull violet eyes before kissing the boy's forehead lightly.

"I'm listening, Aibou," Atem stated.

Yuugi drew in a shaky breath slowly. "It's really…stupid, I guess," the boy muttered in a barely audible voice. There was a strong hint of bitterness in Yuugi's voice, but it was directed towards himself. "It all...has to do with you leaving me. Whether it be a dream where you _did_ go to the afterlife, or just a random thought crossing my mind, I get scared that...that you won't be here anymore. And…and I guess, that's why I've been having these panic attacks…it's just…what if…this isn't real?...What if I-I wake up…and realize that you're not…here? What if you're...g-gone?"

Yuugi's trembling and cracking voice was cut off when a pitiful sob, a sound that resembled that of a wounded kitten, escaped the boy's lips. Yugi blinked hard as to hold the tears in, but the attempt was futile and in vain. His small frame shook with each convulsing sob. Tears and sobs he had been keeping inside of his small body finally began to break free.

Atem pressed his lips into a thin and firm line as he wiped away the lukewarm tears that had begun to trickle down his lover's face. He pulled Yuugi closer into a warmer and tighter embrace as he stroked the boy's hair slowly. Letting out another strangled sob, Yuugi buried his face in Atem's chest. Atem sighed inwardly. Why had he not been able to see this? None of the possibilities he had run through in his mind for what was bothering his Aibou had come close to this: fear of losing Atem himself.

And yet, it was the one that made the most sense.

"Oh, Aibou..." Atem said in a quiet voice laced with sorrow. "I'm sorry that I had not been able to realize this earlier. I should have known." Atem rested his chin on Yuugi's head, and inhaled the scent of the boy's hair deeply. "But there's no need to be afraid, because I will never leave you, and this is a promise."

Yuugi swallowed hard as his brows knitted into a scowl. Pain was stricken across his tear stained face, and his violet eyes were clouded thickly by agony. "I know that, Atem," he replied in a hoarse voice, then let out a frustrated sigh. "But the fear's so terrible that it's gotten a grip of me-"

Another peal of thunder cut Yuugi off short, and this time, the boy let out a cry of fear. Pure, utter fear. Atem was startled more by Yuugi's cry than the thunder, but quickly recovered and began to soothe the boy. Hiccupping and sniffling, Yuugi began to mutter under his breath angrily between sobs. Though most of Yuugi's words were incoherent, Atem managed to pick up a few fragments, and blinked in surprise before they softened into warm pools of deep vermillion.

"Aibou, don't say that you're weak, because you're not," Atem protested quietly. "And…I think this is my first time hearing you curse…especially at yourself."

Yuugi wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then paused for a moment. The only sound in the room was the rain falling harshly in sheets outside, and their soft breathing. Yuugi parted his lips to say something, but he was lost for words; he didn't know what to say, how to reply. As a silence fell upon the two, Atem took Yuugi's hand into his own, and caressed Yuugi's soft skin with his thumb.

"You've gone through so much in this past year, Aibou," said Atem in a soft and gentle voice. "Sacrificing your life for others, facing your fears, doing everything in your power from losing me…" A subtle smile touched Atem's lips before he kissed Yuugi's damp cheek lightly. "You gained courage, and with courage, comes strength." Atem turned Yuugi's head slightly, so warm crimson met hurt and confused violet. A light of pride sparked in Atem's eyes which were softened by the warmth of affection and love. "I'm very proud of you, Aibou."

Yuugi felt his eyes well again with tears, but this time, they were tears of humility. The boy entwined his fingers with Atem's and gave his dark half's hand a small squeeze. Yuugi was about to speak, but there was another sound of thunder. But this time, Atem's touching words had brought the strength and courage inside of Yuugi back to life, so he did not flinch nor break down. Instead, he held onto Atem's hand tightly in silence, then relaxed when the sound died down. Yuugi raised his iridescent violet eyes to Atem.

"You gave me courage," Yuugi echoed. A warm smile touched Yuugi's lips and lit up the boy's face, thus causing Atem's heart to lighten.

A smile began to play on Atem's lips as he leaned in towards Yuugi's lips.

"No, Aibou," Atem replied in a whisper. "The courage and strength was always inside of you; I merely helped you to discover it."

With the last syllable being said, Atem pressed his lips again Yuugi's.

A kiss was being shared between the Yami and the Hikari. Dark and light. Atem and Yuugi. Two halves of one whole, and neither can exist without the other. The opposite of the other, yet perfect for each other.

When the two boys' oxygen had dwindled, they broke the kiss and pulled apart, but continued to lean against the other. There was a moment of silence where the two exchanged gazes with one another before Atem kissed Yuugi's forehead lightly. Yuugi giggled quietly at the feathering of Atem's lips against his forehead. Atem couldn't help but smile when he heard that light-hearted sound.

No more words needed to be said that night. Yuugi understood and accepted Atem's promise of never leaving him, and that there was a courage and strength dwelling within his body. Drying the last of his tears, Yuugi grinned at Atem before pulling his other half down onto the bed. After being settled under the blankets and in each other's arms, the two bid each other good-night which which followed by meaningful "I love you"s. Closing their eyes, the two drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep, and not another sound of thunder was heard that night.

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**Blinded Ryter - **Two updates within three days xD Wow, that's a new record. I'm currently working on a new story, and the pairing will be YuugixAtem (: I'm hoping to start my past FMA stories (_The Right Kind of Sinner, The Ophel Lab, _and _The House_) back to life as well.


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